Financial Review: Castor Maritime (NASDAQ:CTRM) versus Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) (OTCMKTS:ULTRF)

Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) (OTCMKTS:ULTRF) and Castor Maritime (NASDAQ:CTRM) are both transportation companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk, dividends, profitability and institutional ownership.

Risk and Volatility

Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) has a beta of -0.79, indicating that its stock price is 179% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Castor Maritime has a beta of 0.62, indicating that its stock price is 38% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations for Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) and Castor Maritime, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ultrapetrol (Bahamas)	0	0	0	0	0.00
Castor Maritime	1	0	0	0	1.00

Given Ultrapetrol (Bahamas)’s higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) is more favorable than Castor Maritime.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) and Castor Maritime”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ultrapetrol (Bahamas)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Castor Maritime	$66.24 million	0.33	$14.62 million	($3.09)	-0.72

Castor Maritime has higher revenue and earnings than Ultrapetrol (Bahamas).

Profitability

This table compares Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) and Castor Maritime’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ultrapetrol (Bahamas)	N/A	N/A	N/A
Castor Maritime	-37.42%	-3.65%	-2.66%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

1.1% of Castor Maritime shares are held by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

About Ultrapetrol (Bahamas)

Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) Limited, an industrial shipping company, provides marine transportation services in South America, Europe, Central America, North America, and Asia. The company operates in three segments: River Business, Offshore Supply Business, and Ocean Business. The River Business segment owns and operates dry and tanker barges, and push boats in the Hidrovia region of South America. Its dry barges transport agricultural and forestry products, iron ore, and other cargoes; and tanker barges carry petroleum products, vegetable oils, and other liquids. As of December 31, 2015, this segment had 681 barges with approximately 1.3 million dwt capacity; and 34 push boats. The Offshore Supply Business segment owns and operates vessels that provide logistical and transportation services for offshore petroleum exploration and production companies. It transports supplies, such as containerized equipment, drill casings, pipes, and heavy loads; fuel, water, drilling fluids, and bulk cement; and various other supplies to drilling rigs and platforms. This segment's fleet consisted of 13 platform supply vessels and 1 remotely operated vehicle. The Ocean Business segment owns and operates oceangoing vessels, which transports petroleum products, as well as a container line service in the Argentine cabotage trade. The company serves petroleum, agricultural, and mining companies. Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) Limited was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Nassau, the Bahamas. Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) Limited is a subsidiary of Sparrow Capital Investments Ltd.

About Castor Maritime

Castor Maritime Inc. provides shipping services worldwide. The company operates through Dry Bulk Vessels and Containerships segments. It offers seaborne transportation services for dry bulk cargo; and commodities, such as iron ore, coal, soybeans, etc. As of December 31, 2023, the company owned and operated a fleet of 17 vessels primarily consisting of one Capesize, five Kamsarmax, two Handysize tanker vessels, and nine Panamax dry bulk vessels, as well as two 2,700 TEU containership vessels. Castor Maritime Inc. was incorporated in 2017 and is based in Limassol, Cyprus.